Real problem sleeper. Help desperately needed!!! :( PLEASE HELP!!!!

[ratfly]

Ds is 5 months old. He used to just wake once or twice in the night (except for growth spurts), but is now regularly waking every 2hours for his dummy - I think his farts wake him up then he can't resettle (!) . Then, around 4.30 he is really hard to settle even with the dummy, so I end up getting him in bed with me til 7. TBH this is the easy option, but I always wake up tired after co-sleeping. He is swaddled to stop him itching his eczema, so I can't let him thumbsuck, which would be 1 solution.

I wouldn't worry usually, but I am going back to work next week and REALLY need to get some sleep!

So last night, after waking for a dummy re-inset at 2.15 and 3.15, we tried
CC at 4 am - to NO avail! I eventually popped dummy back in at 4.50 after 50 minutes of screaming and he dropped off until 5.30, when I gave in and got him in with me. It's so hard, but I will do anything for sleep by that time in the morning.

PLEASE PLEASE can anyone suggest anything? My plan was going to be to take away his dummy and continue the co-sleeping, but will he depend on co-sleeping too? And is THAT hard to tackle too? Dropping the swaddle is not an option, as he will rub his face and eyes to bits by the morning.

where exactly did you get sarcasm
I was just saying that she hadn't read that book
meaning she wakes alllll blodody night for food

I only suggested he may be hungry and I didn't push it
please lets not be nasty

Enough arguing! He isn't hungry. It's the dummy!!!!
And mine HAS read the book - I have the photos to prove it - but he wasn't impressed.

roffle ratfly

Well done Ratfly - sounds like it went well!!

He just woke, so I replugged, waited a few minutes and removed it. His tongue was poking out like a lizard looking for it - had to stifle a giggle!
Bless him, he is a true dummy addict. I swear it's like giving up smoking for babies!

There's nothing wroing with a dummy. Some babies just need to suck to sleep.
DD1 would never have slept so well without her dummy.

Ok, ok. No more arguing. Suitably admonished. Going now.

Oh and she slept thru from abput 5 mths, don't ever remember night feeding when she went to her cot. Did have to get up often to replug tho, you may just have to put up with that.
The day they can do it themselves is glorious!!

Was no sarcasm from me either. I feed all night long too, never used dummies though. I kept my dumies until I started school lol, used to have 1 on each finger! I was told by my mum that I gave up the dummies myself just before school.

Dummies are great for settling down grizzly babies and helping them to chill out and go to sleep, but when they start waking in the night looking for them, they become a pain in the neck!!!

Ratfly - he probably won't sleep very well in his naps today, cos he will be looking for the dummy, but stick with it,things WILL get better. Love your smoking comparison very topical too - probably lots of adults feeling like he is today!!!

Just think of those lovely nights sleep to come.....!!

I would like to let you know what a "problem sleeper" really is. I have a 2 year old who on a good night has me up/awake three times. Last night I gave up counting when I had been up 4 times before midnight! We've tried controlled crying, the dummy went at 6 months, he's not hungry etc, etc. You know what, I know there are people out there worse off than me, but for heaven's sake ratfly, your son is 5 MONTHS old. Get over yourself. In case you're wondering, yes I work too and have another baby on the way.

hey effingtired I don't think she was saying she had it the worst. Poor you though, lack of sleep is such a killer.

I had the same as you ET until DS hit 3.5 (the worst was the night he got me up 21 times between midnight and 4am) and now he sleeps for a good 4-5 hours at a trot overnight which is bliss for me. The only way I could guarantee a bit of sleep was to physically exhaust him so we walked everywhere we could and I'd send him up and down the garden fetching things for hours some days. Worth a shot if you can get him worn out.

Ratfly - sounds like the dummy is the way to go. DS also went this way at that age but being an Evil Mother of Determined Angst I went cold turkey. One day of hell and then he just forgot.

How are you doing, ratfly? Any luck ditching the dummy?